Cubs' offensive malaise continues north of the border

New York Times

2 days ago

TORONTO — If anyone thought going to another country could help the Chicago Cubs get out of their offensive malaise, they were wrong.
The Cubs offense was a no-show yet again, this time in a 5-1 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday. Despite getting just four hits, all singles, the Cubs also drew an impressive seven walks. And as has been the theme of late, they squandered every chance they had.
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'It definitely can be frustrating,' Dansby Swanson said. 'I feel like we're giving ourselves opportunities throughout the game and just not able to capitalize right now. It's one of those things is all it really takes is one swing and everyone gets going as a group.'
In the third inning, the Nos. 8 and 9 hitters — Swanson and Matt Shaw — reached to turn it over to the top of the lineup with no outs. They scored no runs. In the seventh, after scoring their lone run of the game, they loaded the bases with Pete Crow-Armstrong up, trailing by three runs. He struck out to end the threat.
Crow-Armstrong went 0-for-4 on the day. After having his best month of the season in July, he has just three hits in August with zero walks and 14 strikeouts.
Amid this slump, is he putting too much pressure on himself in those big moments?
'No,' Crow-Armstrong said. 'Bases loaded and two outs. That's about it. Left on left — tough matchup. Those situations are the ones you want to be in, regardless.'
On the night, the Cubs went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position. Since June 4, they have a .220 batting average with runners in scoring position, 29th in baseball. They also have the second-lowest BABIP in baseball in those situations, but they are 25th in plate appearances. So, although they might be a little unlucky, they're not getting in those situations at nearly the clip they once were. And now when they do, they're not delivering.
What more are you seeing beyond just not getting the big hit?
'That's it,' manager Craig Counsell said. 'To score, you either gotta be sequential and get a bunch of guys in a row on or you gotta get the extra base that pushes guys in from first base or score yourself. Obviously, created the walks and created some rallies, traffic and pressure through that. The next hit was missing.'
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The Cubs have had random outbursts here and there. A 10-spot against the Milwaukee Brewers — their last loss, which came July 30 — and nine against the St. Louis Cardinals just a few days ago. But since the All-Star break, this team doesn't look the same on offense. After averaging 5.33 runs per game in the first half, they're down to just 4.00 in 22 games since the break.
'The optimism is just that we've got good hitters,' Counsell said. 'We've scored a lot of runs this year, and they've done a lot of damage. There's no 'woe is me' here and like, 'oh, no.' This is baseball. You gotta go have a good at-bat, whatever the situation is.'
Hitting is contagious, as they say. But is the lack of hitting leading to the players being a little tight or putting too much into each at-bat?
'Everyone cares so much about this team and wants to come through in all those moments,' Swanson said. 'Naturally, that can cause a little bit of — whether it's tight, stress, whatever. It's coming from a good place. Sometimes you just gotta find a way to relax and allow your natural ability to take over.'
Even with all these struggles, the Cubs continue not to chase pitches. That's a good sign they're sticking with their process and not trying to do too much. But the bottom line is they're not taking enough advantage of their opportunities and coming through when it matters.
In the first half of the season, the Cubs chased 26.5 percent of the time, the third-lowest rate in baseball. It led to great results. In the second half, that chase rate is down to 25.4 percent, still the third lowest in baseball. Somehow, it's not working right now.
'It starts at swinging at the right pitches,' Counsell said. 'That's the foundation of it. We are still doing that. We just gotta get some to fall and get hits in the right spot.'
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One thing the Cubs can do is continue to think about themselves. Worrying about Milwaukee was never something they did, and now that might be pointless, anyway. The Brewers, once 6 1/2 games back of the Cubs not even two months ago, lead the division by 7 1/2 games. They throttled Paul Skenes and the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday and look far and away like the best team in baseball.
Meanwhile, the Cubs need to do their best to stay atop the wild-card race. They have a 5 1/2-game lead over the Cincinnati Reds, who are currently the first NL team out of the playoffs.
But the Cubs can't think about the Reds or the Brewers or anyone else. Tomorrow it's about the Blue Jays, then the Pirates back at home over the weekend.
Or maybe just thinking less about baseball would be the route to go?
'There's a lot of different buttons to press,' Swanson said. 'We've had plenty of conversations, whether it's in the hitters' meetings or throughout the day when we're in here. Guys love being at the field and putting in the work to get better. There's dinners, flights, the whole thing. Maybe there's gotta be a different button that gets pressed.'
(Top photo of Seiya Suzuki after striking out in the seventh inning: Mark Blinch / Getty Images)
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